kiss, cuddle or torture

English

Noun

kiss, cuddle or torture (uncountable)

1. A form of the game of kiss chase.
   • 2005, John Beech, The Individual and Community Life, page 61:

     They practised for these by playing games, such as 'keeping house', and 'kiss, cuddle or torture'.

   • 2008, Lorna Martin, Woman On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown:

     It has four bedrooms, a study, a massive dining kitchen, which, according to the estate agent, was its unique selling point, and it looks out across a grassy field where all the local children play 'kiss, cuddle or torture', if the youth of today still plays games like that.

   • 2011, Carol McKay, Eileen Munro, As I Lay Me Down to Sleep:

     One game was called Kiss, Cuddle or Torture. In this, a group of half a dozen or so boys linked arms and tried to surround and trap one individual. We usually ran squealing for safety into the girls' toilets. Some of the girls who were caught chose the easy route, asking for a kiss or a cuddle, but every time after Urquhart, if I was trapped, I chose torture. I preferred to endure all the boys in the group punching or kicking me than face the shame of asking them to kiss me or cuddle me.

   • 2013, Sue Haasler, Better Than the Real Thing:

     'This is so tense,' Aidan said. 'I haven't had this much fun since I used to play kiss, cuddle or torture in primary school.'